If you suspect you are pregnant, don't delay visiting your gynecologist. It happens that the fertilized egg does not reach the uterus: it gets lost and develops outside of it. Then you have to act quickly, because an ectopic pregnancy is a serious threat to your he alth. How to recognize an ectopic pregnancy? Is it always necessary to remove it surgically or can drug treatment be applied?
Ectopic pregnancy( ectopic ), if not removed in time, can lead to very dangerous internal bleeding. That's when time really matters. A quick intervention by a doctor saves not only the he alth and life of a woman. It also gives her a chance to become a mother in the future. This is very important because the majority of patients are young women aged 26-30 who are just planning motherhood.
Ectopic pregnancy: difficult diagnosis
Sometimes an ectopic pregnancy itself dies, is absorbed into the tissues, and a woman may not even know she was pregnant. But as the pregnancy continues, it can be of great danger. Therefore, it is important to recognize it quickly. Initially, it is difficult to distinguish it from inflammation of the fallopian tube or appendicitis. A little bleeding or spotting does not help you recognize the situation as it can also happen in normal pregnancy. If the spotting (not bleeding) is painful, the probability of an ectopic pregnancy is very high. This is a sharp pain that won't go away and is usually on one side of your belly. When there is internal bleeding, the pain radiates towards the shoulder and diaphragm. Internal bleeding is recognized by a rapid pulse, low blood pressure, pale skin (anemia), and profuse sweating. In such a situation, immediate medical assistance is necessary. Your doctor will first interview you and then measure the amount of chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in your blood. The presence of this hormone confirms pregnancy. If the concentration of HCG in the blood does not increase by 66-100% within 48 hours, an ectopic pregnancy should be suspected. To be sure, a transvaginal ultrasound is performed. If no gestational sac is visible in the uterus, the initial diagnosis has been confirmed.
ImportantDo not be afraid that the next fertilization will also fail. AfterIf you have an ectopic pregnancy, you can have children, but sometimes you have to wait a while for them.
Ectopic pregnancy: medications or surgery
Medical treatment depends on the degree of development of an ectopic pregnancy. When it is small (less than 3 cm in diameter) and does not threaten to break yet, pharmacological treatment is used - methotrexate in the form of injections. Sometimes one dose is enough for the pregnancy changes to reverse and the concentration of beta-HCG to stop increasing. The condition for the use of the drug is the lack of fetal heart activity visible outside the uterine cavity and the lack of concomitant intrauterine pregnancy (sometimes it happens). Most often, however, the first ectopic pregnancy takes 7-8 weeks to develop. To prevent rupture of the fallopian tube, surgery is the only solution. Until recently, ectopic pregnancies were removed surgically after cutting the abdominal integuments. Currently, as a rule, laparoscopy is used. Under general anesthesia, the doctor inserts three ends of the apparatus through small incisions in the skin into the abdominal cavity. One is a camera and the other two are surgical instruments. It happens that the fallopian tube cannot be saved, but often conservative surgery is possible. After laparoscopy, wounds heal very quickly, and the scars formed after the procedure are almost invisible.
Management after an ectopic pregnancy
After leaving the hospital, a woman should be under the constant care of a gynecologist. In due course, he will remove the stitches and check that everything is all right. If the fallopian tube has been saved, its patency should be checked six months after the procedure. This test is performed in the first phase of the cycle (i.e. between the end of menstruation and ovulation). It consists in injecting - with a special device - a contrast that fills the cervix, uterine cavity and fallopian tubes. At the same time, on the ultrasound monitor, the doctor observes how the contrast moves through the organs. If the picture is correct, there is no need to worry, you can plan another pregnancy. There is no need to worry that the next fertilization will end similarly. However, if your period is late, you should see your doctor quickly to check that the egg has safely reached the uterus. Many ladies are concerned that pregnancy and surgery have disrupted their body and will not know when they are ovulating now. But then you can ask the gynecologist to determine when the fertile days are. Secondly, there are ovulation tests available in pharmacies that you can do yourself. But apart from medical care, the attitude towards oneself is also important. Psychologists emphasize that for a woman who has undergone the trauma of an ectopic pregnancy, the first months after leaving the hospital are important.Thinking about what happened serves no purpose. On the contrary, it makes it difficult to get pregnant again. The more we try, the more we plan, the less satisfactory the results. The family is also of great importance in the mental rehabilitation of a woman who has survived an ectopic pregnancy. There is no way any accusations were made against the woman. The more warmth and less talk about it, the better. Taking care of yourself every day is just as important: now even the smallest colds cannot be underestimated. The dentist must not be forgotten either. It is important for the expectant mother to have he althy teeth.
You must do itThe only effective way to prevent an ectopic pregnancy is to prevent inflammation of the appendages, which can lead to scarring of the fallopian tubes. It is also important to protect against sexually transmitted diseases, thus avoiding accidental sexual contact. Chlamydia infections are also dangerous for the fallopian tubes.
Unusual "menstruation"
A woman who has regular periods can usually recognize that the next period is different, less heavy, too short. If she thinks she may be pregnant, she should see her doctor as soon as possible, because such unusual bleeding may also be an ectopic pregnancy. And this is a life-threatening condition, because it may cause internal hemorrhage.
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